Our seas face a wide range of threats. Climate change, pollution, habitat and biodiversity loss are all impacting our seas; plus 90% of global fish stocks are either fully or over-exploited. All these factors combined mean that urgent action is needed to restore the health of our seas. Fish farming (aquaculture) is rapidly expanding to meet increasing demand for seafood, but if this is done badly it can also damage the environment and exacerbate these other problems.

Use the Good Fish Guide to find out which fish are the most sustainable (Green rated), and which are the least sustainable (Red rated). Make the right choice and reduce your impact – every purchase matters! Find out more about our seafood work, including how we develop our seafood ratings, plus sustainable seafood recipes and more.

Anchovy, Peruvian, anchovies

Engraulis ringens

They are small green fish with a silver stripe that gives them a bluish hue. A relative of the herring, they are a short-lived, schooling fish feeding on small fry (recently hatched fish) and plankton at the bottom of the food-chain.

Method of production — Caught at seaCapture method — HandlineCapture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)Stock area — Central and South North Sea, Irish Sea, English Channel, Bristol Channel, Celtic SeaStock detail —

Method of production — Caught at seaCapture method — Gill or fixed netCapture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)Stock area — Central and South North Sea, Irish Sea, English Channel, Bristol Channel, Celtic SeaStock detail —

Bream, Black or porgy or seabream

Spondyliosoma cantharus

Seabream are a group of compact, medium-sized fishes known as Sparidae. Their firm white meat is similar in taste and texture to bass and is ideal for grilling, steaming, baking and pan-frying whole. Black bream or porgy are commonly found
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in northern European seas and are commercially fished. However the bulk of the seabream in the UK market comes from imports of Mediterranean farmed gilthead bream. Black bream is a pretty inexpensive fish to eat as it's not massively popular despite the fact it's delicious. Its taste is distinctive and on the sweet side so best grilled or stuffed and baked whole (after removing its scales). Fascinating fact - Black bream all mature as females at around 20cm; but once they reach about 30cm they may change into males and all fish over 40cms are males! They lay their eggs in nests which males excavate with their tails and guard against predators.

Black seabream are vulnerable to overfishing because they change sex during their lives, they aggregate to spawn (and therefore are easier to catch) and are very picky about where they lay eggs. Look up The Black Bream Project for further details. More management is needed to protect the species. If choosing Black seabream, choose it from the Sussex IFCA district, who have implemented better management.

Clam, Razor, clams

Solen spp.

Clams are versatile shellfish which you should only eat if they are from farmed sources (e.g. Manila or American hardshell clams) or harvested from the wild (e.g. carpet or razor clams) using sustainable manual methods such as hand
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gathering. Avoid eating clams that have been harvested using illegal methods such as by electrical fishing. They can be eaten raw, boiled, baked or fried and are most popularly made into clam chowder - a brothy soup, containing potatoes and other vegetables, and often cream. Clams, like many fish, were served in restaurants on Fridays to provide an option for Catholics who abstained from eating meat on this day, as well as during important Christian periods such as Lent.

In Scotland, razor clams are also known as spoots, a reference to the jets of water they produce when rapidly burrowing into sand when exposed at low tides.

Widely distributed in intertidal waters throughout UK and temperate waters.The commercial rearing or farming of razor clams is well established in some areas of Spain, and its commercial potential is now being developed in the UK and Ireland. Avoid eating clams harvested using illegal methods such as electrical fishing. Choose clams harvested in the wild by sustainable methods such as hand-gathering only. Avoid eating undersized animals (less than 10cm) and wild clams harvested during the spawning season (May - September).

Cockle, cockles

Cerastoderma edule

Best boiled then seasoned with malt vinegar and pepper, they are often pickled but also sold in a sealed packet to eat on the go. A traditional Welsh breakfast is cockles fried with bacon and served with laver bread. Cockles have
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distinctive rounded shells that are slightly heart shaped. It is a bivalve (two identical shells) belonging to the family Cardidae meaning 'heart-shaped'. They can jump by bending and straightening the foot - the end bit- which is often coloured red and called the 'red nose'.

Choose Marine Stewardship Council-certified cockles or from well-managed inshore fisheries such as the Wash. Avoid eating them during their breeding season from March to July.

Devil fish, Giant Devil ray

Mobula mobular

Sharks and rays are found in all the worlds oceans, from the poles to the tropics to shallow water coral reefs to water over 3,000m deep. Sharks, skates and rays are fish but unlike bony fish (teleosts), they have a cartilaginous
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skeletons. There are four main types of cartilaginous fish; sharks, skates and rays (collectively called elasmobranchs) and chimaeras (found in deep water).

Reproduction in sharks and rays is a very slow process as they generally have a late age of sexual maturity, produce few young and have a long gestation period. Shark eggs may develop in one of three different ways: Eggs are held within a leathery case (Oviparity), known as a mermaids purse e.g. catshark; embryos develop within the mother and are nourished by the egg (Ovoviparity) e.g. basking shark; Embryos develop within the mother and are provided with nutrients from a placenta (Viviparity) e.g. smoothhound.

World-wide sharks are being removed from our seas at an alarming rate. Yet, they are slow growing, long-lived and have low reproduction rates so it is difficult for their populations to recover. Finning is perhaps the most damaging and distasteful of all shark fisheries. The process is cruel and wasteful, involving the removal and retention of fins, while the rest of the shark, is discarded, often still alive, to drown or be eaten. Fins are consumed principally in the Far East but Europe and the USA are sizeable markets for shark fin. A single basking shark fin can fetch up to 250,000 USD. Blue sharks and other oceanic species are the preferred species taken.

Classified as Endangered by the IUCN. They have been heavily exploited and their populations take a very long time to repair (because they grow slowly, mature at a late age and produce very few young). Because of this, they are automatically a red-rated species.

Eel, European (Farmed)

Anguilla anguilla

Eels are exploited in all life stages and those that are fished do not have the chance to breed. European eel populations are at an all time low. Their status remains critical and urgent action is needed to recover the stock. Scientists
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advise that all anthropogenic mortality (habitat alteration, barriers to passage, pollution, recreational and commercial fishing) must be reduced to "as close to zero as possible", until the stock status is proven to improve. European eel is listed under CITES Appendix II. This listing implies that international trade in eel requires special permission and is complementary to conservation actions developed in the EU management plan. European eel is not farmed like other aquaculture species, the process comprises of catching of juvenile eels from the wild and growing them in captivity. This form of aquaculture is called ranching. European eel is assessed as Critically Endangered in the wild and is a IUCN Red List species. Eel ranching contributes to depletion of endangered wild stocks and does not provide a farmed alternative to reduce pressure on wild stocks. Eel are carnivorous species requiring high protein diets including fishmeal and fish oil which cannot be assured as being sourced from a sustainable supply. Eels cannot currently be bred in captivity so all farmed eel is grown from wild caught glass eels. Avoid all European eel (farmed and wild caught).

Grouper

Epinephelus spp.

The combination of facts for grouper are that they are: largely overfished; assessed as vulnerable to highly vulnerable to overfishing; not managed; and often caught with fishing methods detrimental to their vulnerable reef habitat, makes
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the species in general a fish to avoid. Some species in some areas may be fished sustainably, but MCS is currently unaware of any. Many species of grouper are now farmed, the sustainability of their production will inevitably vary. Only if the fish being farmed are bred from captive stock and do not rely on harvesting of juveniles in the wild, and responsible farming practices are used, including management of feed resources, can farmed grouper be considered more sustainable than wild-caught fish.

Guitarfish

Rhinobatos rhinobatos

Sharks and rays are found in all the worlds oceans, from the poles to the tropics to shallow water coral reefs to water over 3,000m deep. The Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is unusual as it is able to enter fresh water river systems
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where it gives birth. Sharks, skates and rays are fish, but they can be distinguished from bony fish (teleosts) by their cartilaginous skeletons. There are four main types of cartilaginous fish; sharks, skates and rays, collectively called elasmobranchs, and the rarely encountered chimaeras, a more distant relative only found in deep water. They are also distinguished from bony fish by the way they breed. Reproduction in sharks and rays is a very slow process as they have a late age of sexual maturity, produce few young and have a long gestation period. No maternal care is provided to shark pups, instead they are well-developed and ready to hunt when born in order to maximise their chance of survival. All shark eggs are fertilised internally but may develop in one of three different ways: Eggs are held within a leathery case (Oviparity), known as a mermaids purse, e.g. catshark; Embryos develop within the mother and are nourished by the egg (Ovoviparity) e.g. basking shark; Embryos develop within the mother and are provided with nutrients from a placenta (Viviparity) e.g. smoothhound. World-wide sharks are being removed from our seas at an alarming rate. Sharks are slow growing, long-lived with low reproduction. Finning is perhaps the most damaging and distasteful of all shark fisheries. The process is cruel and wasteful, involving the removal and retention of fins, while the rest of the shark, is discarded, often still alive, to drown or be eaten. Finning takes place all over the world (including Europe) to feed the continual and increasing demand for sharkfin soup. Fins are consumed principally in the Far East but Europe and the USA are sizeable markets for shark fin. Fins may fetch over 30 per kilo and a single basking shark tail fin can fetch up to 5,250 in Hong Kong. Blue sharks and other oceanic species are the preferred species taken.

Guitarfish are listed by IUCN as Endangered. It's biology and inshore habitat make it highly susceptible to population depletion. Because of this, they are automatically a red-rated species.

Gurnard, Yellow or Tub

Triglia or Chelidonichthys lucerna

Quite a bony fish and should be bought with fins and skin removed. It's not got a strong flavour and so is often used in soups or stock or stuffed. Gurnards belong to a family of fish known as 'sea robins'. There are three common varieties
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- red, grey and yellow or tub. Red gurnard is most commonly used and is very easily mixed up with the tub gurnard, because the tub gurnard can be as brightly red as the red gurnard. They can be distinguished by their fins, the tub gurnard has stunningly coloured, brilliant blue fins. It lives on the seabed and stirs up food with its 'legs', narrow spiny fins adapted for the purpose.

More management is required to protect tub gurnards. We recommend to avoid eating Tub Gurnards.

What’s a sustainability range?

The sustainability of fish can vary significantly depending on how and where it has been caught or farmed. Many single species are caught or farmed in a variety of ways and this range shows that, within a species, some sources may be more sustainable than others.

To find out specific ratings, click on the 'Show options for this fish' button under the image of the fish.

'Best choices' are rated 1 and 2 (green), 'Fish to Avoid' are rated 5 (red). Ratings 3 and 4 mean 'Think' (yellow and amber), as there are better rated alternatives.

Fish that are under review are shown with a question mark icon and no rating.

This system has been developed by the Marine Conservation Society to help consumers and businesses choose the most environmentally sustainable fish.

To be assessed

Seafood sources indicated as, 'To be assessed', are those that have not yet been assessed and assigned a rating or are undergoing a period
of review. These include sources previously rated by MCS for which the rating has lapsed, due to changes in the market or MCS priorities and
resources. Given that these sources are not fully assessed, the profile should not be used to infer the current sustainability of the
fishery or farmed species.

If you are interested in the sustainability of this seafood source, please let us know by emailing
ratings@mcsuk.org

Rating 1

Rating 1 (light green) is associated with the most
sustainably produced seafood.

This system has been developed by the Marine Conservation
Society to help consumers choose the most environmentally
sustainable fish.

Rating 3

Rating 3 (yellow) based on available information; these
species should probably not be considered sustainable at
this time. Areas requiring improvement in the current
production may be significant. Eat only occasionally and
check www.goodfishguide.org for specific details.

This system has been developed by the Marine Conservation
Society to help consumers choose the most environmentally
sustainable fish.

Rating 4

Rating 4 (orange) should not be considered sustainable, and
the fish is likely to have significant environmental issues
associated with its production. While it may be from a
deteriorating fishery, it may be one which has improved from
a 5 rating, and positive steps are being taken. However, MCS
would not usually recommend choosing this fish.

This system has been developed by the Marine Conservation
Society to help consumers choose the most environmentally
sustainable fish.

Red Improver

'Red improver' ratings are assigned to seafood sources which have been assessed and rated 5 (red) due to significant environmental concerns
with one or more aspects of their management, capture or production, yet credible efforts to improve these issues have been agreed through a
Fisheries or Aquaculture Improvement Project – a FIP or an AIP - and work is underway. Such projects are normally publicly listed at
www.fisheryprogress.org. MCS wants to encourage environmental improvements in fisheries and fish farms, and so does not recommend avoiding
these sources, as we normally do for seafood rated 5 (red rated).

'Best choice' fish are rated 1 and 2, Fish to Avoid are rated 5.

This system has been developed by the Marine Conservation Society to help businesses and consumers choose the most environmentally
sustainable fish.

Rating 5

Rating 5 (red) is associated with fish to be avoided on the
basis that all or most of the criteria for sustainablilty
have not been met.